Last updated May 20, 2026. Wage anchors use BLS OEWS May 2025 national data; occupation matching is interpreted for factory automation roles with help from O*NET occupation definitions.
Industrial electrician pay changes when the job moves from general electrical work into automated equipment support. A factory electrician who can troubleshoot PLC inputs, drives, sensors, control panels, robot cells, and safety circuits is solving a different problem than a construction electrician wiring a new space. The license matters, but the automation context matters too.
Why Automation Electricians Can Price Differently
BLS reports electricians as a broad occupation, with a May 2025 national median of $63,190. But automation-heavy plant roles often overlap with industrial electrical/electronics repairers, where the median was $74,090, and mechatronics technicians, where the median was $73,900.
That difference is the automation premium in practical terms. Employers are not only buying electrical skill. They are buying downtime recovery, controls judgment, safe troubleshooting, and familiarity with production equipment.
What Raises The Pay Range
PLC troubleshooting, VFD setup, servo systems, networked I/O, sensors, vision, safety relays, robot recovery, and instrumentation can all move an industrial electrician toward higher-value plant support work. Food, automotive, battery, packaging, aerospace, and process plants may pay differently based on uptime risk and shift coverage.
A red seal, journeyperson license, or state licensing can matter depending on jurisdiction, but the posting should still explain the automation scope. A licensed electrician who never gets PLC exposure is not the same market as a plant electrician expected to diagnose controls faults every shift.
Candidate Checklist
Ask whether the role includes PLC access, troubleshooting authority, drive setup, robot support, and controls training. Also ask how often you will be on emergency calls versus planned PM or project work.
On your resume, list the voltage, equipment, PLC/HMI platforms, drive brands, and machine types you have supported. Employers looking for automation electricians need to see plant-floor proof quickly.
Employer Checklist
A strong industrial electrician posting should explain the plant environment, shift schedule, licensing requirement, overtime reality, controls systems, and how much PLC troubleshooting is expected.
If you need someone comfortable with live production pressure, say that plainly. If the role is mostly construction or facility electrical work, do not market it as automation. The wrong wording wastes everyone’s time.
BLS Wage Anchors To Compare
Data note: This guide compares BLS May 2025 OEWS data for electricians, industrial electrical/electronics repairers, and mechatronics technicians because automation-heavy electrician roles often overlap those labor markets.
| BLS occupation | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47-2111 – Electricians | $49,430 | $63,190 | $83,940 | $108,510 |
| 49-2094 – Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment | $60,040 | $74,090 | $88,710 | $105,590 |
| 17-3024 – Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians | $59,780 | $73,900 | $88,540 | $109,890 |
Find industrial electrician roles with automation scope
Search postings that mention PLCs, drives, controls, maintenance, production equipment, and plant electrical support.
How To Use This Guide
For candidates, compare the job description against the responsibility level in this guide. A title alone is not enough. Look for the platforms, equipment, travel, shift, startup pressure, and troubleshooting authority.
For employers, use the guide to decide whether the posting is priced like the work you actually need. Better detail usually means fewer weak applications and more serious candidates from the PLC, controls, robotics, and industrial electrical market.
Use this guide
Turn this into a live industrial electrician job search
Compare current openings, then save an alert so new reviewed PLC, controls, robotics, industrial electrical, commissioning, and field service roles come to you.